Enter the Gungeon (PC) review

Enter the Gungeon is an eccentric, yet punishing, bullet-hell/rogue-like twin-stick shooter. If you ever wondered what The Binding of Isaac would have been like if everything had guns, your worries are answered here in this game. Jam-packed with gun-toting, diabolical, and electrifying enemies, this difficult “Gungeon-crawler” will truly test your limits. Local coop is supported; however, online coop/multiplayer is not.

The Gungeon

The Gungeon is a constantly changing/evolving bullet-hell fortress designed to stop those who enter within its walls. Comprised of 5 Chambers (along with a couple hidden ones), each floor will require a room-by-room clear towards the boss room culminating in an epic showdown with one of the Gungeon’s guardians.

Every Gungeon is procedurally generated upon entering a new Chamber. This randomizes: Chamber layouts, room layouts, enemy locations, enemy types, environmental hazards, chests, item pickups, special events, etc. A couple features are kept consistent throughout the procedural generation, such as the appearance of a Shop on every floor. The randomization is one of Enter the Gungeon’s strongest traits. After playing for a few hours, I have still consistently come across items, rooms, events, and NPCs that I have never seen before, on the first Chamber!

Due to this game’s challenging combat mechanics, it can seem pretty harsh remembering that it is a rogue-like, and death means a game over. To help ease this burden, Enter the Gungeon presents you with the ability to unlock shortcuts to subsequent Chambers. The caveat of this amazing benefit (for those that want to use it of course – there are many reasons why players may not want to take advantage of this) is with the requirements needed to unlock the shortcuts.

Gungeoneers

There are 4 main characters (Gungeoneers) to choose from, along with 1 local coop specific character and 2 hidden ones. The main characters and their special traits are listed below.

The Convict: Upon taking damage, the player gains double damage for a short time and the guns will be instantly reloaded.

The Hunter: A loyal Dog follows the player, providing the character the chance to receive a pickup item upon clearing a room.

The Marine: With an additional armor, this character inherently has an improved reload time/gun accuracy.

The Pilot: This character has a nifty lock pick that allows the player to have a chance at opening chests without a key.

The Cultist (Coop Only) : This coop-exclusive (and required) partner has an ability to revive a fallen character.

Enemies & Bosses

The enemies are very ruthless, with some seeming downright unfair. Generic pistol shooters and tankier shotgunners will comprise the bulk of the enemy selection; however, dozens of creatures with unique move-sets really know how to mess up your groove. After 5 hours, I have only experienced 3/5 main Chambers, and the things I have seen can be turned into a children’s horror novel. Pulsing boxes, disappearing ghosts with AK-47s, a crow-man, and jumping iron maidens only scratch the surface of what you will experience playing through this game.

To progress to the next chamber, the boss of the current chamber must be found and defeated. With the exception of the final boss, each chamber is guarded by one of two (sometimes three) possible bosses. If you pay close attention, you may come across some neat references to other games, as seen in item descriptions, boss features, enemy types, etc.

Weapons

The weapons truly make Enter the Gungeon exciting and fun to play. With at least 100 guns that I can see, there will always be something new to try out. From guns that shoot homing bees, to ones that project massive beams of disintegration, your screen will always be filled with beautiful, and sometimes hilarious, particle effects. The higher level, and most interesting, guns are locked within top tier chests or rewarded upon defeating a boss.

I have yet to be disappointed in a game published by Devolver Digital. Enter the Gungeon’s addictive combat mechanics, fantastic procedural generation and all-around polish makes this rogue-like a supreme example of what other games should strive for. I can easily recommend this game to fans of bullet-hell or rogue-like genres, or anyone looking for a challenge.

If you enjoyed this Enter the Gungeon review, you're encouraged to discuss it with the author and with other members of the site's community. If you don't already have an HonestGamers account, you can sign up for one in a snap. Thank you for reading!

You must be signed into an HonestGamers user account to leave feedback on this review.